An Amazon software-development manager chose to resign from his position after being asked to return to the office in the US. The employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, forfeited company stocks worth $200,000 (approximately Rs 1.6 crore). According to the employee, they were informed in May that they would need to report to the office in Seattle by June, which came as a surprise and felt like a betrayal of the company’s initial promise of remote work flexibility.
The employee attempted to negotiate with the company, presenting an estimate of $150,000 to relocate their family and livestock, and inquiring about the relocation package. However, they did not receive a satisfactory answer. Despite lacking data to support the claims, the company asserted that employees were less productive while working from home, adding to the pressure on the employee.
The employee expressed frustration with the company’s stance, stating, “And then we were being told, ‘We don’t have the data, we just know it’s true’ — a phrase so patently un-Amazonian that it became hard to sit there and preach leadership principles… It didn’t make any sense. It still doesn’t.”
Ultimately, the employee decided to leave their job, resulting in a loss of $203,000 in unvested stock. They are now employed at another company, alongside a former Amazon colleague. Although their current role offers a similar salary, it cannot match Amazon’s stock options.
In response to the employee’s account, Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser stated via email that they could not verify the story and emphasized that a single anecdote does not define a company as large as Amazon. Glasser reaffirmed Amazon’s position, explaining that the company had informed employees in February about the expectation to work in the office for three or more days per week starting in May. This decision was based on the belief that it would yield the best long-term results for customers, business, and culture. Glasser also mentioned that a small percentage of the team was asked to relocate to be in the same location as their teams, and the company is providing relocation support and communicating with employees individually.
It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold and whether other employees will follow a similar path or choose to comply with the company’s return-to-office policy.
